DWATCH Custom Review

FIRST IMPRESSION This is my first custom dive watch, so I had high hopes. The wait was painful, but as the saying goes; 'all good things come to those who wait' and when I finally opened the luxurious white lacquered and velvet lined wooded box that had until then been home to my new DWATCH, I knew the wait had been worth every second!

The stark contrast of the black on white I had chosen for my dial set up and the bead-blast finished case against the PVD I had chosen for my crown jumped out at me, but wasn't too overbearing.

An effect I had endeavored to achieve and it would seem with great success. The DWATCH’s vintage styled case was unlike any other diver I had owned before which just added to the excitement of having my first bespoke diver.



AESTHETIC

My DWATCH couldn't be any more appealing to me. Everything from the hand, dial, case and bezel options as well as the custom PVD crown and personalized OceanicTime script on the dial were all my own conception. So of course they looked great to me.

When you customize a DWATCH it's your own personal vision of the DWATCH that you get, so what's not to like?

However the unique vintage styled case, knurled bezel and crown along with the enormous domed sapphire crystal are the true heroes of any DWATCH’s appeal, without them as such an inspirational canvas on which to paint your personal finishing touches, your DWATCH might have been in danger of looking like any other off the shelf diver, which the most certainly isn’t!





INNOVATION

DWATCH is one of the very few fully customizable dive watches that are available. The fact that you can pick and chose between the various dial, hand and case options puts DWATCH in a class of its own.

There are currently 4 case finishes, 4 bezel types, 7 dials types, 6 hand colors, 3 hand sets and 6 strap options offering a myriad of different variants and choice. DWATCH plan to keep building upon this and will also be offering a bracelet as well as other options in the future.





DWATCH have gone green! They've done away with all unnecessary paper used for instruction books and warranties. Instead the DWATCH ‘watch tag’ doubles as removable USB storage device with 1 GB of memory, there you can find stored all instructions, care and warranty details. A really lovely touch in my opinion and one I hope catches on with other watch makers.



MOVEMENT

Swiss made automatic high–grade ETA 2824 with date function and sweep second hand. Runs like a dream, I haven’t timed its performance, and am sorry for that, but that’s just not my style. It does keep excellent time though, comparable to any of my other Swiss dive watches.





CASE (case / caseback / crown / bezel / crystal)46.5mm X 16.9mm / lug width 24mm / 120 click unidirectional rotating bezel / 4mm sapphire crystal with AR costing/ screw down crown / anti-shock

The vintage styled case is really something else to look at, very beautiful, every edge and corner beautifully contoured giving it a really lovely voluptuous look. The lugs curve down ever so slightly, but just enough to make the watch wearable on most wrist sizes.

I didn't think I’d ever be a fan of knurled bezels or crowns but I've been converted. They work really well with the overall design and make gripping them all the more easier. I love the fact that an HEV has been incorporated into the side of the case. It’s a nice modern touch.

The 4 o’clock crown position completes the look of the watch and is my favorite crown position bar none.

For my own personal options I had chosen a bead-blasted case with a PVD bezel and crown.

Just a side note here the PVD crown is not a standard option with a bead-blasted case and should really only come with a PVD case, but Alon DWATCH’s founder being the obliging gentleman that he is allowed me to fully realize my vision of my custom DWATCH.

The bead-blasted caseback sports an engraved manta ray in flight; it adds a little something to what would otherwise have been a fairly ordinary looking caseback. It takes you straight to the ocean, which is where anyone who buys a DWATCH wants to be anyway!

The screwdown crown positioned at 4 o’clock is knurled and has been PVD coated as per my request. It is very rigid, no play at all and has a nice smooth movement when opening and closing. The O-ring is reassuringly and clearly visible when the crown is extended. There’s a ‘D’ on the crown face.

A 4mm thick domed sapphire crystal holds everything in place, it really is HUGE! AR-coating has been applied to the inside for extra visibility. It gives a lovely blueish tint to the crystal.




WATER-RESISTANCE
1000m or 3300ft. Although 200 meters is more than adequate for a dive watch, 1000m is fast becoming the expected rating for most new divers produced these days.





BRACELET / strap
My DWATCH came on a 24mm Maratec Elite strap. It is a very comfortable and durable strap with white stitching running along the sides. It worked very well with the black and white of the watch.

As people have already said the DWATCH is just begging to be put on a mesh type bracelet. One will be made available shortly, and with any luck it will have solid end links so that it can fit flush against the case. A PVD version would look incredible on this watch! We shall see!




FUNCTIONALITY / Wearability
I would have no qualms about taking my DWATCH diving. The nice clean professional matt finished dial with contrasting black and white is easily readable at a glance. The AR-coated sapphire crystal offers exceptional visibility when submerged.

Knurled surfaces on the crown and bezel offer great grip whilst being used with wet hands or diving gloves.

Even though the DWATCH is a whopping 46.5mm it still wears very comfortably on the wrist. The Maratec Elite strap is durable and comfortable; you hardly know you are wearing the watch at all.

DURABILITY

The DWATCH has been built exceptional well and according to Swiss standards and specifications. The case is made from 316L Stainless steel and although bead-blasted should prove fairly resistant to scratches.

As with all good quality Swiss watches that house mechanical movements, it will certainly pass the test of time and I expect to be wearing it for many years to come.




© OceanicTime


VALUE
You get what you pay for with a custom DWATCH. It’s a beautifully made and finished product that exudes quality and coolness.

The basic model costs 890USD with an additional 89USD for bead-blasting, 78USD for a PVD bezel and a final 38USD for assembly, giving me a total 1114USD. Great value for money considering level of customization involved. I already have plans for a second!

LUME
The DWATCH uses superluinova. The lume application won’t burn your eyes out, but more than suffices. When fully charged and in low light it has a very attractive pale green hue to it that is quite mesmerizing to look at.


OVERALL IMPRESSION DWATCH, the vintage styled diver with a modern twist has set itself apart from the crowd. There are a plethora of good quality Swiss divers available in its price range, but none offer the level customization that you get here.

DWATCH are a great company to do business with. Alon a friend of mine is one of the most generous and accommodating gentlemen I have had the pleasure of knowing.

If you’ve had enough of the ‘off the shelf’ look and you want to indulge the watch designer in you log onto to DWATCH.net and have blast building your own bespoke dive watch! I did and I am stoked with the end product! It doesn't get much better than this!

OVERALL RATING